Getting a Cold? Do This Right Now

By Hallie Levine Sklar
February 10, 2016
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Feel like you're getting sick? These four steps will ease—and maybe even stop—your symptoms.
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Practice prevention

Here's why it's not likely.

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Pop zinc

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You may shave two days off a cold, per a 2012 review. Look for lozenges with zinc acetate or zinc gluconate and take one every couple of hours while symptoms last, says Lisa Cuchara, PhD, professor of biomedical science at Quinnipiac University, in Hamden, Connecticut.

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Sip chicken soup

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It's not just an old wives' tale: This staple can help relieve symptoms of a cold, according to a study from the University of Nebraska.

Try one of these seven healthy chicken soup recipes.

RELATED: How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup With Spinach

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Try vitamin C

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It likely won't prevent a cold, but a review of 29 trials found that taking vitamin C daily as soon as you feel that first symptom may reduce your downtime by about 8%.

You need about 1 gram (1,000 mg) a day.

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Hoard zzz's

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During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines that combat infection.

Getting enough shut-eye consistently will also help you prevent more sniffles in the future.

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By Hallie Levine Sklar